How many times have you sent your resume to a prospective employer and never heard so much of a peep from them? If the answer is somewhere along the lines as “I’ve lost count,” then you might want review that resume again—only this time, let’s review it for old resume terms.
Some of the biggest mistakes job seekers make when submitting their resume is using outdated terms from the 1990s. Since our business has been around that long, I can honestly say we’ve been reading boring or non-descriptive terms for that long. Terms such as Results-Oriented, Go-Getter, Outside of the Box, Strategic-thinker, Cutting Edge, Team-Player, Hard-Worker and Detailed-Oriented are some of the many terms that still plague resumes.
Now it’s not that all those terms are bad, it’s just that they’ve been overused to the point of ad nauseam. So how do you fix it? The truth is writing a resume is hard work. Copy and paste and submitting non-descriptive terms in your work history aren’t going to cut it. Remember, it’s your professional experience on a piece of paper, and it needs to scream “Hire me!”
Nowadays, hiring managers want to know more about you. Let’s take a look at these outdated resume term examples:
- Team-player: It’s not enough to say you’re a team player on a resume. Now you must provide more. Explain the teams you were on and whether you managed a team and of how many constituents. Were there executives on the team? What were the projects? Were they successful?
- Highly-skilled: Mentioning your skills and how they relate to the job you applied for is critical. Don’t just throw a label like this term. Describe your skills to the fullest and wow those hiring managers.
- Dependable: This word doesn’t really have merit in this job market. Any person applying for a position should be dependable period. Additionally, the only people that can attest to your dependability are your references. Get rid of it and show the value you created with positions by explaining the level of responsibility, whether you were promoted or if you were given added responsibility. This will demonstrate how dependable you are.
- Top-notch: Did you win an award that labeled you an Employee of The Year? If that’s the case, then it’s okay to use this term, followed by mentioned that amazing award. Other than that, get rid of this term in your resume.
- Leveraged: This one is probably one of the most meaningless offenders. Most job seekers that use this term aren’t even using it properly. Review what you’re trying to convey and revise your resume so that it demonstrates a real skill and not one created from fluff.
- Extensive experience: You can use this term as long as you follow up with the detail. If your experience is extensive for the position, you’re applying for, then describe the work experience that backs up your claim.
- Out-of-the-box: Just referencing you’re an out-of-the-box thinker, makes hiring managers cringe. Describe those situations/projects where you solved a problem or used your experience know how to improve a situation with your previous employer.
There are so many more terms than the ones we mentioned, but these can no doubt help you get started. Cut and paste and using outdated terms are the easiest way to get rejected. For the best results, start with the job description you’re applying fore and customize your resume, using terms that will enhance your experience and make you shine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Ingrid Moore
Ingrid Moore is the Founder and CEO of Corporate Resources of Illinois, an employment & staffing agency withover 20+years’ experience located in Schaumburg, IL. Ingrid and her team assist employers with finding the right hire for their business. For more info, follow us on our LinkedIn Company Page, or follow us Corporate Resources of Illinois‘s Google+ page.
